There are various new treatments for bladder cancer and research is being done to improve existing treatments.
Surgery
For bladder cancer, surgery consists of doing a cystectomy. Some doctors are now doing what is called a robotic cystectomy, which is where they operate robotic arms to perform the surgery via a control panel.
Robotic cystectomies allow the surgeon to operate by making several small incisions instead of one large one. Some believe that this helps patients recover faster.
This method is still being studied and tested to figure out if it is the best way of doing a cystectomy for bladder cancer.
Intravesical Therapy
Another new method researchers are investigating is intravesical therapy. There are tests being done to see which medicines, when placed in the bladder after surgery, can best help to lower the risk of the cancer returning.
Currently, BCG and are the drugs used here, but researchers are looking into whether or not there are safer options.
Photodynamic Therapy
Researchers are also testing whether photodynamic therapy is useful in treating early-stage bladder cancer.
Photodynamic therapy is when a light-sensitive drug gets injected into the bloodstream and collects in the cancer cells for several days. After some time, a special type of laser light is focused on the inner lining of the bladder via a cystoscope. The light works to change the drug into a brand new chemical that is capable of killing the cancer cells.
The problem with photodynamic therapy is that, because it is activated by light, only cancers near the surface of the bladder lining can be treated like this.
Patients will also experience extreme sensitivity to sunlight for several weeks after undergoing photodynamic therapy. Even a little exposure to light can result in severe burns.
Targeted Therapies
Targeted drugs, which go after something specific, are used in treating other cancers. They have begun to be tested in the treatment of bladder cancer as well. Researchers are developing drugs to target the changes happening in bladder cells that turn them into cancer cells.
Some targeted drugs being looked into for bladder cancer include lapatinib (Tykerb) and (Tarceva).
Anti-angiogenesis drugs are drugs targeting the blood vessels that allow tumours to grow. Research is now being done to see how well they could work against bladder cancer. These include bevacizumab (Avastin), sorafenib (Nexavar), cabozantinib (Cometriq), and pazopanib (Votrient).
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy is adding or changing the actual genes of a cancer cell or other cells in the body. Researchers are looking into gene therapy for use in bladder cancer. However, it is still in early stages of development.
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